USA Cricket is Set for a Major Lift: Antigua Challenge and Hosting Ireland

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The USA Men’s National Team has now started its campaign to return to an ICC T20 World Cup Global Qualifier after 6 years. It was in 2015 when the team last attempted to qualify for this and this year, they are seeking one of the two places available from the Americas leg of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Regional Qualifiers.

Cricket may be the second most popular sport worldwide. However, it’s not as popular as other sports are in the US. Today, this sport is mainly popular in India, Pakistan, Australia, and England. It’s the India cricket betting sites that would typically experience a surge in bets every time a major cricket event is on. This is something that the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket USA are hoping to change.

Last month, USA Cricket has already started to open opportunities to partner with sponsors for the USAC Men’s Senior 50-Over National Championships for the 2021 and 2022 edition, and the Men’s U19 50-Over National Championships in 2022. USA Cricket sought Expressions of Interest from commercial entities until October 29^th and we’re just waiting for the official partners to be announced.

USA Men’s Team in Antigua

Currently, the USA Men’s Team is in Antigua hoping to get something out of the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup America’s Qualifier. The event started on November 7 and the last day is on November 14. The USA team is led by a new captain, Monank Patel. The team started with a doubleheader on the first day.

Here’s the lineup for this event:

-Monank Patel (Captain)

-Aaron Jones (Vice-Captain)

-Ali Khan

-Elmore Hutchinson

-Gajanand Singh

-Ian Holland

-Jaskaran Malhotra

-Karima Gore

-Nisarg Patel

-Rusty Theron

-Saurabh Netravalkar

-Steven Taylor

-Trinson Carmichael

-Xavier Marshall

The USA Team Schedule is as follows:

The USA Team is likely going to get one ICC event in the next cycle. With how they are doing with the current event, the team must be happy. Here are the current team standings of the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier:

The USA to Host Ireland in Landmark Cricket Series

Aside from how well the team has been doing on the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier, it has also been revealed that Ireland will be the first Test nation to play against the US team in the USA. Both teams are set to play two T20I matches and three ODIs starting December 22 at the Central Broward Park Stadium, Florida.

USA Cricket CEO, Iain Higgins, confirmed the series and said that the organization is elated. He said, “This announcement sends a signal to the international cricket community that cricket in the USA is moving in a very positive direction and that we have aspirations to compete against the best teams in the world on an increasingly regular basis on home soil.

“The journey of Irish cricket to full membership of the International Cricket Council (Test-playing status) is something that has been studied and we hope to replicate by 2030,” he added.

Ireland has gained its Test status in 2017 and Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, Warren Deutrom, said, “With a large population of Irish ex-pats and immigrants in the United States, we hope to see a good turnout of support for our squad.”

Part of the boards’ agreement is that Ireland will also be hosting a tour for the US Team within the next three years. Right after the upcoming Ireland Tour of the US, the team will then travel to the West Indies for the World Cup Super League matches. The dates are unreleased yet as of today.

With all these happening, cricket is set for a major boost in the US. The ICC has also previously announced that there will be a T20 World Cup in 2024 that is a joint bid from the USA Cricket and Cricket West Indies boards. This means that there is a chance that the tournament will be hosted by the US and the Caribbean boards.